# boring.notch

> Turns the MacBook notch into a music player and file shelf

boring.notch is a free, open-source macOS app from TheBoredTeam that turns the MacBook's notch into an interactive panel. Hovering over the notch expands it to show music controls with a visualizer, a calendar, and a shelf that holds files for AirDrop and other sharing. It also replaces the system volume and brightness indicators. The code is licensed under GPL-3.0 and the project is funded by donations.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** TheBoredTeam
- **Website:** https://theboring.name
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

boring.notch is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free and open source under GPL-3.0, and the website says it always will be free. Donations through Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee are optional.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| boring.notch | $0 | Every feature, as a universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs from GitHub Releases or Homebrew. No account or license key. |

Read from https://theboring.name/ on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with boring.notch before buying.

## Key features

- **Music controls in the notch:** Shows what is playing with a visualizer and playback controls that can be rearranged, including 15-second skips, app volume and favorites, plus synchronized lyrics in beta.
- **File shelf with AirDrop:** Dragging files to the notch opens a shelf that holds them for AirDrop and other sharing services, with multi-item selection and a right-click menu of file actions.
- **System HUD replacement:** Replaces the macOS on-screen indicators for volume, screen brightness and keyboard backlight with its own display in the notch, with optional percentages.
- **Calendar and reminders:** Calendar and reminders integrations are built in, with settings to hide all-day events, scroll automatically to the current or next event and stop long event names being cut off.
- **Mirror and battery indicator:** The project roadmap marks two further additions as done: a mirror, and a charging indicator that shows the current battery percentage.
- **Lock screen and screenshot options:** The notch can appear on the lock screen, can be hidden from screenshots and recordings, and its size and gestures can be adjusted for different displays.

## Good for

- MacBook owners who want media controls in the notch area
- People who share files by AirDrop and want a drop target at the top of the screen
- Anyone looking for a free, open-source notch app

## Worth knowing

- macOS only. The README requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, while the website's download card says macOS 13 Ventura or later.
- The team has no Apple Developer account, so macOS blocks the first launch until a Terminal command or a System Settings override is used; the Homebrew install avoids this.
- Bluetooth live activities, weather, customizable layouts, lock screen widgets and an extension system are on the roadmap but not marked as done.
- YouTube Music support needs version 3.11 or later of the YouTube Music (Pear Desktop) app.

## Works with

Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, AirDrop

**Tags:** Open source, Menu bar app

## Alternatives

- [Yoink](https://toolgpa.com/tools/yoink): Drag-and-drop shelf for files and snippets on the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/boring-notch-vs-yoink)
- [Dropzone](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dropzone): Drag-and-drop action grid and file shelf for the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/boring-notch-vs-dropzone)
- [Thaw](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thaw): Free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/boring-notch-vs-thaw)
- [Bartender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bartender): Menu bar manager for macOS that hides and organizes items. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-boring-notch)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://theboring.name/
- https://theboring.name/js/apps.js
- https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch/main/README.md
- https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch/releases/tag/v2.7.3

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/boring-notch
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).